Conservation planners in McCracken County recently organized a whimsical arts and crafts project in order to put a spin on sustainable water practices. The Artistic Rain Barrel Partnership Project was initiated with the help of talented high school students. With skillfully crafted designs, rain barrels were painted and transformed in order to draw attention and commitment to the use of rain barrels within the community. Rain barrels can save most homeowners approximately 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months. Relying more heavily on rain barrels will assist in the reduction of the amount of water entering the County’s inundated storm water system. The project was sponsored to help meet Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit requirements of public education and outreach, public involvement, and good housekeeping and pollution prevention. Fun fact: Derby Day is often synonymous with gardening season in Kentucky. So it’s that time of year again, along with a few suggestions for decorative container planting! First, you’ll want to start with a minimum (12-inch) diameter container. A mistake would be to put too many plants in too small a container. Allow enough room for them to grow. Plant one variety per container and mix-and-match the containers. For the planting mix, it’s important to get it right so you’ll have a successful planting experience and plush garden. You may choose to use premixed with slow-release fertilizer that can greatly reduce the toil and improve the quality of your plants. An added advantage is that the slow-release fertilizers result in far fewer nutrients flowing out of the bottom of your container, down the driveway, into the storm sewer and, eventually, right into the local creek. Important reminder: when was the last time you had your sewer line inspected? A damaged or broken line can cause sewage to leak into the soil, creating a significant risk to the environment with sewage potentially leaking into rivers, lakes and the oceans in certain...

The City of Lexington is heading up a proactive community project: stenciling storm drains to prevent storm water pollution. The community is coming together for the benefit of keeping pollutants that enter the waterways to a minimum. Many people do not know that storm drains lead directly to our waterways. Everything that enters a storm drain or storm inlet is washed into nearby streams, lakes, and rivers without going through a treatment plant. Only rainwater should go down the drain. Non-point source pollution, also called storm water runoff or urban runoff pollution, is caused when rainfall carries pollutants from roads, yards, buildings, and other surfaces into waterways. Because the pollution comes from many different places, it cannot be traced to a “point source” such as a factory or plant. Pesticides, fertilizers, motor oil, paint, antifreeze, solvents, pet wastes, grass clippings, and yard waste can all harm our water sources if they end up in storm drains due to dumping or runoff. Storm drains lead into a separate system, apart from the system that carries wastewater, and empties directly into our streams, rivers, and lakes. When motor oil is poured into the storm drain or pet waste is washed into an inlet, all of the bacteria and chemicals end up in the closest waterway. Storm drain stenciling helps educate citizens about water quality and tells people not to pour any chemicals or wastes down storm inlets or drains. There are over 20,000 storm drains and inlets in Lexington so there are plenty to choose from. Due to safety concerns, the City advises that you stencil in teams of 2-4 people. This allows at least one person to stencil while one person watches for traffic. The Division of Environmental Services has stenciling kits for you to sign out. Louisville, looking for a highly recommended plumber? Perma-Liner Industries has partnered with the best plumbers in your area to provide you with outstanding service. We provide only the best referrals for licensed and certified professionals. Call us or go online to see how we can help. 1-866-336-2568 or...